Of Ramen And Ichiraku
by Areash
Summary: As he continues to visit, Naruto discovers that ramen isn't the only reason he loves Ichiraku's so much.
1. Intro

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, and I'll be honest. If I did own it, the manga/anime series would have been finished by** **now.**

_Okay, I'm gonna admit this straight up: It's been a very long time since I've watched or read Naruto. Still, I can't forget the enjoyment it I had from it in its earlier days. The idea of this fic is simple enough: it's Ayame and Naruto talking with each other after canon events have happened. I'll mix in some original events too._

_It's a pretty simple idea that's probably been done before. I'm not claiming any originality out of this idea. I wanted more Teuchi and Ayame goodness because those are two characters that I always enjoyed. I may get facts from Naruto canon wrong from time to time. I'm apologizing in advance. Really, I'm not incompetent or anything. It's just been a long time since I've watched. Anywho, enough rambling from me..._

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto always said that Ichiraku Ramen was 'the heart and soul of Konoha.' Of course, anybody who knew anything about Naruto knew the boy ate there all the time. Still, villagers couldn't deny the food tasted delicious and the Ramen stand did bring villagers (both ninja and civilians) together to interact among each other.

It should be noted that even though the restaurant was, well, just the size of a stand, business always remained consistent. Ayame frequently brought up the idea of expansion – always curious about the reasons her father never made too many changes to the restaurant that had been owned by their family for generations.

The cheery old chef understood what his daughter was trying to say and he knew it was something the whole town probably wondered whenever they visited their ramen stand. Business had always been good. The idea was simple. The restaurant didn't have to be humongous or anything. With a few more tables, chairs, and wider area, the possibilities were endless. He'd even thought about the possibilities a time or two, but ultimately came to the conclusion there were just some things you couldn't change.

He always emphasized that bigger didn't always mean better.

Ayame still didn't understand where her father was getting at, but there wasn't much reason to complain. Business had always been steady, but there was something _else_ missing from the ramen stand the past few days. Rather, someone else had been missing. It bugged the girl.

She always saw Naruto as her little brother. It was a treat when Naruto talked to her about his classes. His tales were far more interesting than what _she _would learn at school (Regular school is so boring!), and they always talked to each other. A day without Naruto showing up at the ramen stand was rare enough, but a full week?

A heavy sigh escaped. The sound didn't go unnoticed.

"I don't have to be a genius to know the reason behind **that** sound," her father commented.

"I miss Naruto-kun." she replied.

"Hmm. It's certainly been a long time since the boy's last visit."

Her father put down the bowl of ramen he'd been working on. It was a break hour for them, and all attention went to his daughter. He thought he'd offer his two cents to her.

"If I recall correctly, the Akimichi boy and that Nara boy had been excited about the upcoming exams,"  
he said.

Ayame's eyes widened.

"Then that means..."

Teuchi offered his daughter a gentle smile.

"I'm sure Naruto is fine. He's shared the other tests with us before, hasn't he?" he asked.

"But if he failed again," Ayame muttered.

Teuchi shook his head.

"We can't think like that. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before that boy becomes a genin. He might have repeatedly been last in his class all the other times, but you have to remember, this is ninja school we're talking about. Naruto's going to become a genin one day and our encouragement is important to him."

_And I've seen fire in that boy's eyes. I might not know much about being a ninja, but that boy is one of the most determined young children I have come across in a long time._

Ayame took a few minutes to let her father's words sink in. When she was ready, she gave her reply with a smile.

"And whatever happens, a Deluxe Naruto Special's bound to cheer him up!"

Her father nodded at her words.

"Now that's the spirit!"

* * *

Her father's words really were helpful. It helped Ayame carry on cheerfully, and sure enough, Naruto arrived on the scene a few minutes before closing time, sporting a brand new shiny forehead protector.

"Congratulations, Naruto-kun!" the girl excitedly proclaimed when she immediately saw the forehead protector.

The boy gave her a large grin.

"Hehe, thanks Ayame nee-chan!"

After his words, Naruto's grin turned into an embarrassed look. He scratched the back of his head, and laughed nervously.

Ayame couldn't remember seeing this side of Naruto before. She didn't say it out loud, but she thought it was adorable. While avoiding her gentle gaze, Naruto looked like he was about to speak.

"...and, ah... I really, REALLY wanted to tell you guys about this, but everything's been so crazy since then."

"Don't worry about it. The important thing is that you've finally achieved your dream, right?" she asked.

"Yup! And you know something else?"

"What?"

"I've decided that one day I'm gonna become Hokage!"

Ayame couldn't help herself, and had to tease Naruto a little bit.

"If that's the case, then you'll have to start growing."

"Aw, Ayame nee-chan no fair!"

Ayame simply chuckled and ruffled his hair while he pouted.

Teuchi appeared in front of the counter with a proud smile on his face. He chuckled when the new genin and to-be-Hokage grew wide eyed at the site before him; pout quickly forgotten.

Even though the boy hadn't placed an order, it was their special present for him. What made the old chef even more proud was this was a prepared dish by his own daughter.

"She's right, you know," Teuchi said.

Teuchi might as well have been talking to a brick wall. Naruto looked like he was in a state of bliss when the large bowl was placed before him.

"The food of the gods... I think I'm in love," he said, completely ignoring Teuchi's previous statement.

Since Naruto didn't seem to be paying too much attention, Teuchi wiped away the drool from his mouth with a napkin.

Even though it was obvious he was talking to the food, his words let a tinge of red rise to the face of Teuchi's daughter. This was the first time she'd received such praise.

Quickly shaking her head, Ayame chimed in.

"Th-this is our newest creation, made just for you! I call it, the Naruto Deluxe Special. On the house!"

Ayame sweatdropped when Naruto looked up and pointed at her. He had two big hearts in his eyes.

"You. You have conquered my heart. You are an angel."

"Naruto-kun, aren't we forgetting about Sakura-chan?" she nervously replied. Even though they had expected some sort of reaction from their best customer, neither Teuchi or Ayame quite expected this.

"Sakura-chan? That woman is no longer holds a claim on my heart. Marry me."

In any other instance, Teuchi probably would have freaked out at somebody 'proposing' to his daughter on the spot like that. He just knew Naruto was on his ramen-high mode, and that Naruto would eventually forget everything he just said.

"You know, Naruto-kun... I might have to hold you to a promise," Ayame teased. As soon as she let the tease out she covered her mouth in surprise.

_What just happened?_

"I promise," Naruto said without hesitation.

At that moment, Ayame heard the sound of angry teeth grinding together. Worried, she turned to her father, and stepped away from him as far as possible.  
"Uh... f-father? Naruto-kun is our friend, remember?"

The old chef didn't have any ounce of chakra or special bloodlines in his body, but at that moment, killing intent rose through the roof. Naruto's comments threw him over the deep end. Any encouraging words his precious daughter was saying (We like Naruto-kun, we don't want to harm him!) went completely unheard.

Much later, Naruto would be able to recall that he heard a high-pitched **whimper** in his head. Which was strange, because the boy didn't make a sound at all.

"You..." a murderous Teuchi growled.

"Uh... f-father?" Ayame squealed, starting to worry for Naruto's safety.

"**I'LL KILL YOU!" **he yelled.

His words were enough to shake the orange clad boy out of his ramen-induced fantasy world.

"Huh? What's going on? Old man Ichiraku... you don't look so good."

"Forget that! Naruto! Run!" Ayame yelled.

"HAAIIIII!" he replied, as Teuchi began to chase Naruto all over Konoha.

Staring at the bowl, Ayame frowned.

"Aw... He didn't even get to taste it," she complained, as ANBU had to restrain her father somewhere off in the distance.

* * *

"Yeesh. For a normal old man, your pops can be scaary."

Ayame giggled at the new genin's remarked. A few week passed since the 'proposal incident' that set her dad off the deep end. After a late night shift, Naruto was walking her home; a tradition both Ayame and Naruto enjoyed. They were glad Teuchi still trusted them alone together. Neither would be forgetting the 'proposal incident' anytime soon.

"It's not that funny!" Naruto grumbled.

The incident would never be forgotten by his daughter and especially the scared boy he threatened to murder in cold blood. Most people believed it was some sort of 'assassination attempt'. Ayame couldn't blame them, and didn't really take personal offense to it. She found the whole thing amusing, really.

After all, it wasn't every day she saw her father outrunning the ANBU.

Once he'd been detained, the three of them were taken into the Hokage's office for interrogation purposes. The Sandaime knew that Teuchi had a good track record and understood that the owner of Ichiraku Ramen didn't view Naruto in a negative light. The leader of the village wanted to understand exactly what had happened.

When he was in the Hokage's office, Teuchi seemed to have a quick loss of memory. In light of all the events, it appeared the father had no idea what was going on. The poor old man was incredibly confused. Ayame had to explain everything that had just happened. Naruto just sat; too traumatized by the whole thing. Secretly, the Hokage was grateful the boy was being perfectly quiet while he listened to the girl.

The Hokage saw she had nothing to lie about, and wasn't surprised the incident was because something stupid that Naruto said. All was forgotten, and they were let off the hook. Sarutobi made a mental note to keep a closer eye on Teuchi if a boy were to ask his daughter out.

"Oi. Ayame nee-chaaaan."

"Sorry. Just lost in thought,"

Naruto had an inquisitive look on his face, so she continued.

"I still believe that was more of my fault than yours, Naruto-kun. I'd like to say I'm sorry, but that's a memory I'm not forgetting anytime soon."

If anything, at least the girl was being perfectly honest. Even if the once seemingly innocent father and daughter showed they did have some twisted parts of their personalities.

"Well, at least he still lets you walk me home. But that still doesn't make any sense," the boy in orange said.

Ayame always enjoyed walking home with Naruto and was a little worried that her father wouldn't allow them to walk with each other after the proposal incident. Maybe that really did mean he couldn't remember a thing.

"You mean Father letting you walk me home?"

"Yeah! If a proposal sets him off his rocker and he tries to kill me all of a sudden, why doesn't me walking you home at night do the same? I mean I've been walking you home for years now but none of that crazy stuff has happened!"

Even after all the years they'd known each other, Naruto was still doing or saying things that surprised the brunette. While he didn't exactly have the reputation as the brightest ninja, Ayame had been starting to see that others' perceptions of the boy were terribly wrong.

She'd grown to realize that the last ranked student showed a lot more brains when he was around her than whenever he was in front of some sort of audience. She guessed that just meant Naruto was starting to grow up.

"You just said it yourself, Naruto-kun."

"Eh? Just said what?"

"You've been home with me for such a long time and nothing's happened. That means he trusts you," Ayame replied, smiling at him.

"Ohh..."

Naruto couldn't help but feel embarrassed at such praise.

_So this must be what recognition feels like..._

These days, the old man freaked him out twice as much as he did before but the chef was one of the few friends Naruto had.

**Naruto's Friends List**

Ayame-chan

Old man Ichiraku  
Old man Hokage  
Iruka-sensei

Yeah, not a well-drawn out list or anything, but at least there were people on that list.

"Oh, it looks like we've arrived," Ayame said reluctantly, not really wanting to end the conversation just yet.

"Ne, Ayame nee-chan."

"Hmm?"

"Do ya think things will always be like this?"

"Hmm..."

"Not that it's bad or anything! I was just saying because ever since I've become a genin, things have been crazy."

Naruto was definitely starting to grow up.

"Naruto-kun, no matter what happens, we'll always be friends."

"Promise?"

She turned to face him and he saw her open her arms, gesturing that she wanted a hug.

Naruto heard her reply when he hugged her back, and smiled to himself.

When they'd said their goodbyes, he briefly wondered why the usual topic about Sakura didn't come up.

* * *

_Author's note: I originally thought Naruto's walk with Ayame was gonna be the start of chapter two. When I realized it was still more of a wrap up of chapter one, I decided it was probably too short to work for chapter two. Most chapters will be pretty short._

Also, I don't have a beta. I'm editing all of this myself, which is another reason I'm trying to keep chapters short. Pacing and organization is a huge problem I usually have with writing, and I want to fix that (hence the short, simple plot). I'd like to hear your thoughts on this fic, so send some reviews this way!  



	2. Confessions

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. **

_Is it weird that no matter how many times I've heard the character pronunciations, I've always pronounced the "Na" in Naruto as "Nuh" instead of "Nah?" Sasuke's pronunciation's also felt weird to hear. For me, my head continues to think "Sah-sook" instead of "Sah-skay" Oh, and Sakura. The "Sa" always felt like it should be "Suh" instead of "Sah" Again, more babbling from me. Sorry. _

* * *

"One Miso Ramen, please."

One blink.

Two blinks.

Reminding herself that such behavior was rude, Ayame stopped at the second blink.

"Coming right up!"

As they prepared the visitor's meal, Ayame tried to hold up conversation.

"It's quite unusual seeing you here, Sakura-chan."

"Is it?"

Ayame nodded.

"I can't remember the last time you came here, but it's good having female company."

"Guess you're right. It really has been a long time, hasn't it?"

Sakura gazed off into the distance as the Ichirakus continued to prepare her meal, thoughts still looming over her first _actual_ mission.

Sure, she could get the basics down in the blink of an eye. Teachers always praised her exam scores. Those were just that. Book smarts. Having that knowledge vs. actually using that knowledge turned out to be two different things. She'd never had a serious fight in her life. When Sasuke and Naruto battled an assassin, all she could do was watch and continue to escort Tazuna.

Of all people, _Naruto_ was a better fighter than her. It wasn't a serious blow to her ego, especially when she started to realize there was more to the boy than she originally thought.

Of course, she originally brushed him off as nothing but a loud-mouthed, obnoxious idiot (and it was just her luck said loud-mouthed idiot had a crush on her). Working with him showed just how much the village had underestimated the boy's potential.

A frown crossed her features.

_Am I really cut out for this ninja stuff?_

"Sakura-chan?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Thanks."

"...you feeling okay, Sakura-chan?"

"Sorry, sorry. Just got out of a long mission."

Word traveled quickly in the small village. When other ninja shared meals, Ayame heard many things, and usually just brushed off such topics of conversation. Getting into gossip could be a slippery slope. With a job like hers, it was best to ignore most of what was heard. Then again, there were other times that made avoiding gossip hard. For instance, when Naruto was involved of the subject of a dangerous mission.

She was quick to note Sakura's unenthusiastic tone.

"I might be just an acquaintance, but sometimes it's better to vent frustrations out," Ayame said.

"That obvious, huh?"

The ramen girl just tried to offer a sympathetic smile.

Sakura took the moment to eat some of her ramen. She couldn't understand why Naruto always raved about the ramen, but she didn't hate it. It _was _pretty good. The older waitress seemed nice enough, too.

"You know, I think I can see why Naruto speaks of you so much."

"Ara? He does?"

Sakura nodded.

"Yeah. He's always saying that Ichiraku Ramen is his 'home away from home and keeps giving us recommendations.'"

Ayame giggled at the thought of Naruto describing their food to his teammates. She could see his excited hand motions, enthusiastic tone, and she just knew what recommendations meant to Naruto. The boy had the entire menu and every detail memorized. If he hadn't been so devoted to becoming a ninja, Ayame would've talked to her father about hiring an assistant chef.

"Ah. So that's why you'd keep you away from our ramen stand," she replied.

"Really, I don't see how you guys can stand his presence for so long. He's just so... Naruto."

The older girl shook her head at Sakura's statement. It appeared the kunoichi had a skewed view of the boy; much like the other villagers. She hoped she wasn't playing matchmaker talking about the kunoichi's teammate, but Ayame hoped Sakura would understand where Naruto was coming from.

"He's not just some loud-mouthed, obnoxious idiot who goes around pulling pranks, you know."

Surprisingly, Sakura found herself agreeing with that.

"I know... well, I think I know. I thought there was I knew everything about Naruto just when it came to his antics at the academy. After this mission, I'm not really sure."

Ayame nodded. She was glad Sakura was slowly starting to see it too. "I think Naruto-kun just has trouble when it comes to interacting with others. He doesn't have many other friends, so his communication skills are surprisingly poor in front of strangers."

"...and you've gotten to see the real side of Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Another nod.

"I'm sure you're starting to find this out, but he's a lot more introspective than he lets on. He notices things others don't. The Naruto I've gotten to befriend over the years is passionate in everything he pursues. He can be very energetic and hyperactive, and people seem to get annoyed. Their annoyance only keeps his persistence up, but I don't know how much I should be telling you. You should be trying to get to know your teammate yourself."

The older girl hoped she didn't want to sound like she was scolding Sakura for anything. It was just how she felt. She understood Sakura probably wanted a few short moments away from her teammates after... well, whatever happened.

"Yeah... thanks for the talk."

Ayame smiled.

"Don't be a stranger, visit more often!" she yelled out. She got to see Sakura waving her hand.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Confessions**

The blonde-haired boy known for his awkward orange and blue jumpsuit decided it might be time for a change of his outfit. Fighting with the material proved to be a challenge. Since getting back to the apartment, he'd been wearing a grey t-shirt and a pair of dark pants._  
_

Like Sakura, he'd been doing a lot of thinking after the mission. He found out some disturbing parts of his... other nature. Life grew more complicated when Iruka-sensei told him the truth about the prisoner in his body. Sakura-chan didn't know a thing about the Kyuubi. Neither did Sasuke, or any of the other genin from his class.

The first glimpse of what the demon could do _terrified_ him. And that was only a fraction of the thing's full power. The boy didn't even want to start imagining what a fully-powered Kyuubi could do.

_After debriefing the Hokage on the mission, he stayed in the Old Man's office when his teammates and even Kakashi had left._

_Sarutobi raised an eye at this._

"_This is about the Kyuubi."_

_A short, slow nod._

"_I... I don't know how much longer I can keep this thing a secret."_

_"From your teammates?"_

_"From my teammates. And especially from Ayame. I just hate keeping secrets from her, ya know?"_

_"So what will you do about this?"_

_Naruto clenched his fist at the question. It wasn't that the question annoyed him. He'd just been thinking about it ever since he first found out about the demon sealed in his stomach._

_"This really, **really **sucks. I never thought I'd feel like a coward. I mean, I still don't really wanna tell her, but I've been thinking about this ever since Iruka-sensei explained everything to me. I'm afraid of a ton of things, and I know it ain't gonna be easy or anything, but I've made up my mind. I've got to tell Ayame."_

Sarutobi studied the boy for a few minutes. Everything in the boy's demeanor showed his mind had truly been made up. His tone was firm and undeniable. Even though their was some signs of reluctance, that was natural.

_A few more minutes of silence felt like hours passing by. After a few scratches of his chin and blowing on his pipe, the Hokage finally made a decision.  
_

"_Naruto. As you know, all the adults already know about the Kyuubi. As you also know, it is my law that they must not talk about it in public, or around their children. At all."_

_Naruto's grip tightened._

_"This is my law, but you are also the container of the Kyuubi. I cannot stop you from telling the people you want to tell about it. That is your choice, and your choice alone. Once they find out about your secret, it is still a law for them to refrain from talking about it."_

_The boy's eyes widened._

_"Then you mean..."_

_The Third nodded._

_"I do not advise you to go around telling this secret freely. If more and more people found out about your status as a jinchuuriki, matters would only grow more complicated. Is this understood?"_

_Naruto nodded._

_"And Naruto?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"You're wrong about being a coward. It's my law that you cannot speak freely about it. It takes a brave heart to admit something like this to the people you care about the most."_

_There were other things the Hokage truly wanted to explain to Naruto, but things were better left unsaid to a child who already had so much to worry about. He was better off not knowing that he had ANBU watching over him due to potential assassination attempts from the villagers._

_He knew he would eventually have to explain in greater detail about jinchuurikis and the Akatsuki, and he would. All that was just in due time._

_"Thanks, old man."_

He'd taken one of his slowest walks yet to reach Ayame from the ramen stand. He was still reluctant, and a ton of thoughts were racing through his head when he saw her. He tried his best to block them out.

The girl was finishing up closing the stand, and came to Naruto's side.

"Ne, Ayame-nee-chan. Can we talk in some place private?"

"About your last mission?"

"Huh? You knew about that?" he asked.

She nodded, as he shrugged.

"Well... sorta," Naruto continued. He didn't really feel like elaborating, and Ayame understood the tone of the conversation.

"Why don't we talk back at my place?"

The walk back to her house had been one of the most uncomfortable walks Ayame could ever recall. It was a shame. Naruto would have loved hearing that Sakura came to visit.

She knew Naruto had his serious moments, but the entire walk had been in absolute silence. When they moved over to the dining room, Ayame figured she would have to be the one doing the talking first.

"So, Naruto. Dad doesn't get back for a few more hours, and it's obvious something heavy's on your mind. So what-"

"I uh, I have something to talk about."

"Yes, that much is obvious by now," the older girl replied.

"Right. Ah, but ya gotta know something. What I tell ya stays here, and you're not allowed to talk about it."

So far so good. Despite his nervous shaking, he was speaking in coherent sentences.

"A secret?"

"Uh... something like that. Anyway, you remember that time the demon fox attacked the village?"

The older girl raised an eye at that. She kind of felt insulted at the question.

"I don't have to be a ninja to remember that, you know. Just what exactly is-"

"Thekyuubiisinsideofme."

Naruto groaned. He'd been thinking of how to word it to Ayame, and he'd been such a nervous wreck since he saw her. He didn't think a full sentence would come out in one blurted word.

His nervousness was blatant, so she gave him the time to calm himself down.

"Uh... sorry. There's really no other way to say it. It's something I found out recently for myself. I've wanted to tell and I didn't know how and I know you're gonna hate me for it so here goes."

"_Woah. Breathe a little bit, Naruto-kun._" Ayame thought when she noticed the run-on sentence.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

With his heart beating a mile a minute, and trembling hands, he let it out.

"That stupid fox, the Kyuubi is sealed inside of me."

Eyes still closed, he had to have figured Ayame was disgusted at him by now. He sighed deeply.

"And you hate me now. I-I guess I'll let myself out."

As he was walking away, a firm hand stopped him from turning around.

"Don't leave," Ayame replied.

Hesitantly, Naruto couldn't sit in front of her, since she was still grabbing his hand. The only other option was sitting next to her.

_Well this is just great._

He saw tears forming down her face. He felt even worse.

"You-you idiot," was her reply.

"Ayame-nee-chan, I'm sorry, and... huh?"

"Why would you think I'd hate you for something like that. And why are _you_ **apologizing**?"

"You mean you don't hate me?"

"Why should I hate you?"

"Uh... you're kinda crying right now now."

Ayame sighed. She did realize how confused Naruto had to be at the moment. She had to let him know she still cared about her little brother. She leaned in to hug him, and continued to wipe some tears away.

The sudden information was surprising. There was that. She didn't understand herself why she started to cry like that, but when he told her the big secret, the girl put two and two together. Everything started making sense. Naruto's whisker marks, the villager's reactions to him... He had been suffering so much, and she was shocked when she found all of that out.

"I'm not crying because I hate you. It's just... everything about you makes so much more sense now."

"...eh?"

"The way the villagers treat you, the way you've had to live your life... you've had it so rough, haven't you?"

Naruto shrugged.

"It's not so bad when I have special people in my life, ya know."

"Special people?"

"Yup! You and Old Man Teuchi! Uh... only when he's not chasing after me."

Ayame shook her head at the boy's ability to be able to joke in a time like this. Then again, she'd always found that part of him endearing.

He asked if he could get up, but for a different reason. This time, he really wanted to get tissues for her. He hated seeing her cry. It took a long time to get some sort of order restored, but they were able to clear the tears from her eyes.

During that time, Naruto felt relieved. He felt like he'd just taken the weight of the world off his shoulders. Now, he didn't even understand why he thought she could hate him for being the Kyuubi, but he made another promise to himself. Two more promises, actually.

The first promise: He would never, **ever **make his big sister cry again.

The second promise: It was more of a realization it was something he'd always wanted to do, but he made it the promise of a lifetime to protect his big sister with his life.

"Naruto?"

"Eh?"

"So what do you plan to do now?"

"Oh, I ah, had the talk with the Hokage. You were the first person I wanted to tell. That's for sure."

Ayame felt honored.

"But what about your teammates? And Sakura-chan? You'll be working with them for a long period of time, you know."

Naruto sighed.

"Yeah, I know. It... it's just not that easy. I don't know if they'll be as accepting as you."

"You don't trust your own teammates?"

He shook his head.

"It's not that. It's just... kinda complicated. It was hard enough figuring out how to talk to you about it, and you're Ayame-nee-chan."

Ayame took a moment to think about it. He was right about that. She was the person he was most comfortable with, and the poor boy had been in such a nervous state. If he decided to tell Sakura of all people...

"Yeah, you're right on that. Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out somehow. Ne, I know talking about the Kyuubi is the last thing you want to do, but could you explain it to me? I don't really understand most of it."

After another few moments of silence, she started regretting the question before he spoke up.

"I don't know a lot about it myself, but I get the basics. Iruka-sensei said the stupid fox is inside of me because of the Yondaime."

"The Yondaime?"

"Yeah. There's a lotta stuff I don't get, but _this_ (Ayame started to blush a little bit when he pulled up his shirt) is the seal he put inside of me."

Quickly, she looked at the seal. Ayame knew she wouldn't understand any of the ninja/chakra terminology herself. She didn't understand the whirlpool design, or the other markings around it, but the symbol looked almost ancient.

"Do you ever... well, _talk_ to it?" she asked.

The jinchuuriki shuddered at the memory of the first glimpse of the demon fox.

"Only once. At the Wave mission. And I think I get its visions in my sleep sometimes."

"Its **visions**?"

"Glimpses of different worlds, different creatures. Disturbing stuff, really."

"No kidding..."

"But you wanna know something funny?"

Something funny in the middle of a conversation of the Kyuubi? That bit her curiosity. She just nodded at Naruto's question.

"There's a lotta stuff I forget about the 'proposal incident.' But I **did **remember one very distinct detail."

"Go on..."

Naruto grinned.

"Pretty sure I heard the Kyuubi **whimper** when your dad was chasing me."

Somewhere in the room, a cricket received its only chance to be heard with a tiny chirp.

Then...

"**BWA-BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**

Inside its prison, the one-and-only nine-tailed fox heard the two laughing. It had interrupted nap time.

This resulted in a low growl as the creature closed its eyes and let out a huge yawn. Hopefully they would let him get back to sleep.

**"**_**Impudent humans. I'll kill you both."**_

Luckily, the Kyuubi would forget its own words by the time it woke up. Inside its cage, the Kyuubi was one of the laziest demons ever.

* * *

_Yeah, I know. The genre label is humor. I don't think I'm gonna go the drama/serious route in this story. _

_I'll make a quick rant about Sakura here. I'm sure you've heard all the Sakura rants before, so I'll keep mine as short as possible. In my early fanfic reading days, I've been a huge NaruHina supporter. As time went on, I still like the idea of the couple, but I've started to understand why the couple probably isn't the most plausible couple to develop. At least in terms of the anime or manga._

_What does this have to do with Sakura? Many things. For the longest time I hated her character. Truth be told, I still hate her character, but these days, it's more because Kishimoto never did anything with her. As a character, I think I understand Sakura more, and feel I could've liked her if Kishimoto wrote her a little differently. She was always the weak character that had so much more potential to grow. Even the way she seems to be portrayed now (I've been reading current chapters of the manga; not too sure how I feel about the development) To make an even longer summary short: instead of developing Sakura into a likeable character and a useful team member, Kishimoto ruined it when he made her completely lovestruck over Sasuke.  
_


	3. Half-Truths

___Fier66: Yes! I completely agree. Ayame was incredibly underused. She was one of the first characters close to Naruto's age that bothered being friends with him. She also served ramen, an easy key to Naruto's heart. It does make sense why she was never really developed as a character in the anime. Still a shame, though._

_Anyway, sorry for the time it took to get this up. Had to figure out how to pace the story; still not too sure if I'm satisfied with the end result._

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.**

* * *

_Nothing to hide, nothing to fear? _

Hiruzen Sarutobi scoffed at the thought, and wondered where such idea came from. On some levels, the argument made sense... but it held too many fallacies.

Take right now, for instance.

Currently, the son of Minato and daughter of Teuchi stood in his office. Though they were innocent children, they had every reason to be somewhat intimidated. Of course, the boy had done this many times before, so he was very comfortable. On the other hand, Ayame was anything but relaxed.

The situation was different from the 'proposal incident' where she bravely recalled the events had unfolded. Back then, she knew what she had been called in for. In such circumstances, she was able to calmly tell Sarutobi everything that had happened.

Now, she only had some idea of what they'd been called in for. Nonetheless, it was only natural for a civilian girl to feel uncomfortable.

Still, the Hokage gave her credit. He could tell she was reassured by the boy's presence.

This was a part of the job he'd never been fond of, but it had to be done. Actions always had consequences.

As he reassured the children they had done nothing wrong, the Hokage proceeded with his questions. It seemed like a short and simple process. He also made sure to stress that part as much as possible to both children.

"Now, seeing as this is the first time Naruto has revealed such a secret, I am asking these questions to make sure the two of you understand why it's such an important secret. Naruto, Ayame-chan, you understand everything I've said so far, correct?"

Both children nodded. Sarutobi continued.

"Good. First question is for Ayame-chan..."

"Hey, old man! Ayame-nee-chan didn't do anything wrong! Ask me first!" Naruto interrupted.

His eyebrow twitched at the boy's interruption. He understood the boy's need to stand up for Ayame, but it still showed his impatience. Sarutobi continued to reassure himself the process would be short and simple. Somehow, he felt less confident now.

"Naruto, I am not here to accuse you or Ayame-chan of anything. The less interruptions, and the quicker you two will be on your ways. The more you interrupt..."

Naruto muttered something along the lines of 'stingy old man' and looked at the floor.

The third was used to Naruto's actions by now, and cleared his throat.

"As I was saying. Ayame-chan, every villager understands the history of the Kyuubi. Knowing the events that have unfolded, do you see Naruto as a threat to the village?"

It was a question worded harshly, yet necessary to hear her answer. The girl wouldn't be able to do any physical harm to the boy, what she thought of him now was more important. Though his face showed no emotion, he was proud when Ayame looked offended at the question.

"Of course not! Knowing that Naruto-kun has such a powerful demon inside of him is a little terrifying, but he has been nothing but kind to me and my father. The Kyuubi doesn't change that he's still our friend."

Naruto's eyes were still facing the ground.

The Hokage nodded. Ayame's full answer had saved his second question. He turned to Naruto. He knew the boy would look up at his question.

"Good, good. Now Naruto, what will you do now that you've told your secret for the first time?"

As expected, the boy looked up, already thinking about the Hokage's question. Sarutobi hid another smile.

_There's still parts of his childish personality that show up, but he knows he can_ _longer express himself just through pranks or obscenities. It will be interesting to see how this develops._

Years ago, Naruto would play dumb at the question and shout at him. The fact that the boy showed such an inquisitive look on his face showed the Third that times were certainly changing.

"I hate saying it... but I don't know. I really don't. I mean, Ayame-nee-chan accepted me, and it was suuuper hard figuring out how to tell her in the first place, ya know? Yeah, someday I gotta tell Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan, 'cause they're my teammates and everything, but I don't wanna. This sucks."

"Naruto..." Ayame said.

The Hokage nodded. Such an answer was expected, considering they previously talked about the subject. He'd just been trying to get confirmation if anything had changed since Naruto talked with Ayame.

"I've told you this before, and I can't stop you from telling the secret. That's your call. However, I can say this. Use your judgment. Trust your heart and your instincts. After all, Iruka-kun, Teuchi-kun, and

Ayame-chan already accept you. Am I correct?"

Naruto nodded. The Hokage saw the grin on his face as the boy was about to respond.

"Old man, you forgot somebody."

This time, Sarutobi allowed a smile to come across his face.

"Yes, yes. Me as well. Okay, you're all free to go."

"Eh? That's it?" Naruto asked, completely surprised.

Sarutobi nodded.

"The two of you have already said everything I needed to hear. As you both know, nothing wrong was done. I had to hear your opinions, and you gave them to me. Oh, but before you all go, there is one more thing. There is a reason this knowledge cannot be freely talked about in this village. Naruto, even though you are allowed to use your full discretion when it comes to telling others about your secret, the subject must not be elaborated upon in a public setting. That is all. And Naruto, please use the door."

"Spoil sport... hai hai."

Sarutobi watched the two leave. Once again, he was in the office by himself.

"If only every other part of this job could go that smoothly..." he said to nobody in particular.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Half-truths**

Spending the rest of the day with Ayame would have been awesome, but even Naruto understood when he had responsibilities. Shortly after being dismissed, he met up with the team. The meeting hadn't been too long. It was still fairly early in the morning. Even if the meeting with the Hokage went overtime, a wait with Kakashi was still bound to happen.

Stupid sensei.

Naruto noticed his behavior had been changing, and didn't know what to think of his other two teammates after their first mission. Any attempts at interaction just seemed too awkward, so he found himself keeping to himself more and more. Currently, the boy was placed on a tree, not even caring that Sakura had been glancing over at his direction every now and then.

Ever since he found out about the Kyuubi, strange things had been happening to him. Or more specifically, nightmares. Vivid ones, at that. Because of frightening images, it had also been changing his mood lately, and he'd been a whole lot quieter. Seriously, the visions were so bad he wouldn't wish any of them on Sasuke-teme.

He'd been on edge lately, and a bit out of character. It had gotten to a point where Sakura had been starting to notice, and wonder herself what was going on with her blonde teammate. Of course, Kakashi noticed, but the masked teacher was too lazy to do anything about it.

Not too far away, Sakura had been hoping Sasuke would eventually notice her or even acknowledge her. It was good that Naruto wasn't pestering her, but still. Something felt off...

Her conversation with Ayame showed there had been a lot more to Naruto than she originally thought. In fact, he hadn't really been loud, energetic, or all that talkative in who knows how long. The boy was her teammate, too. Sasuke was hot and everything, but did her whole world really revolve around the dark-haired angsty boy?

She still didn't know why it was bothering her, but it was. It wasn't like she was getting anywhere with Sasuke-kun anytime soon.

Reluctantly, it took everything in her body to start moving towards the tree Naruto was sitting on. Since he was on the far right of the branch, she made sure to keep a fair distance. She wanted to start _trying_ to get to know one of her other teammates, but she also wanted to make it clear she wasn't interested in him in a romantic sense.

When she thought about it, that thinking pose looked awfully similar to...

"**DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE NARUTO TO SASUKE-KUN! REMEMBER THE ONE WE LOVE!" **her inner-side raged.

_Hai, hai. Don't worry about any of that. I'm just trying to be nice to the idiot for once. That's all._

**"AND THAT'S ALL YOU BETTER BE DOING!"**

Rolling her eyes at... well, herself, Sakura tried to talk to Naruto. Of course, she didn't know what he was currently struggling with.

Naruto _did _sense her presence. Thoughts of his meeting with the Hokage still crossed through his mind. Could he really tell Sakura-chan about the Kyuubi?

"Naruto, are you okay?" he heard her ask.

Sakura felt each vein in her body start to grow as he continued to ignore her. Naruto hadn't even bothered lookingat her? What was going on here? The Naruto, back in the academy days who did nothing but bug her on and on?

Funny how time changes things.

"D-don't get any ideas! I'm not making any moves on you or anything," she said.

Naruto still found the view of the village far more interesting at the moment.

"**I'LL KILL HIM!"**

Shaking her head at Inner Sakura, the pink-haired genin was starting to wonder what was up with Naruto lately. She didn't know why, but when he hadn't been approaching her, she actually missed it. Not that she would ever admit it to anybody in the world.

Sure, it was annoying and embarrassing in the past, but she was being acknowledged. Naruto had always been straightforward with her the way she had been straightforward with Sasuke.

But now... Was he a completely different person now, or had they always just wrote him off too quickly in the academy days?

"It's stupid."

Sakura blinked at the quiet reply. Short and concise.

"Well, you never know. Anything you wanna talk about?"

To Sakura's credit, she was being as patient as she possibly could be. Her quick frustrations were kept in check. He hadn't done anything to warrant a fist to the face, which was probably the only reason they were having a civil conversation together.

_Why am I talking to Naruto so much?_ She asked herself.

"...you know, sometimes I find it's better to vent your frustrations out. If you're having troubles, what's the good of holding them all in?"

"You sound just like Ayame-nee-chan."

Sakura shrugged.

"Maybe we're both right on this," she said.

When Naruto turned to face her, it looked like progress was finally being made. The brief thought of mentioning Kyuubi to her crossed his mind, but quickly faded away.

"You won't laugh?" he asked.

"I won't laugh."

He took a moment to think about what he was going to say. When he found the general idea, he started to speak.

"...do ya ever felt like there's something inside ya?"

The subject didn't sound as stupid as he had mentioned at all. Sakura was completely surprised when she found herself relating to what he had said.

"You mean like some sort of presence?" she asked.

"Yeah. Like you're talking to you... but it's not really you."

Sakura sighed.

"From time to time," she said, rather nervously.

"Hmm. Well, this side of me... it's uh, in my dreams. Wish I could describe it, but it's hard. All I can say is it's this dark... thing. Haunting me. Every night."

_Sounds like Inner Sakura, alright. _Sakura thought to herself.

If she only know.

"And it only appear in your dreams?" she asked.

"Yeah. "

He might have been lying, but it was for good reason. He didn't wanna sound _too _psychotic by mentioning it spoke to him whenever it felt like speaking. Naruto was just grateful he didn't have to be specific or talk about his actual nightmares; especially not to Sakura-chan.

Sakura thought about Naruto's problem, and tried to offer advice about what she did when she had to deal with Inner Sakura.

"Sometimes you just have to do your best to ignore it. I can't lie and tell you that it makes the voice go away. The more you ignore it, the better things get. Just remember who's in control, and things will work out for the best. Got it?"

Naruto thought for a while. He always knew that when it came to grades, she was one of the top students, so she was much, much smarter than he was. It was almost like she understood the problems he had, even if he hadn't really elaborated on the presence of the Kyuubi. He wasn't sure if the advice would help, but it was advice.

He smiled at her.

She didn't smile back, but was glad that she was trying to help. And who would have ever thought the two of them would be able to have a real conversation together?

"Gee, thanks, Sakura-chan!" he said, a little bit more cheerfully... until a poof of smoke completely freaked him out, and their sensei popped up, right in the middle of them.

"WAHHHHHHHH!" Naruto yelled, trying to hold his breath (and balance).

Sakura's eyes twitched at the man's expression. Though he had a mask, the way his eyebrows were, she could tell the man was grinning from ear to ear. All that while still glancing at the perverted book in his hands.

"O-ho, what do we have here? An unexpected, blossoming romance?" he said jovially.

Kakashi was well aware of the lines he was crossing with his pink-haired student, but it didn't matter too much.

"Ara? Hey Naruto, did I really stumble across a romantic moment?" he asked his other student, playfully elbowing the boy.

Naruto had a deadpanned look at his teacher's actions.

"Kakashi-sensei," he interjected.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"...can't you read the mood?"

Kakashi mock gasped.

"What are you saying, Naruto? Are you implying that your sensei interrupted the moment where your hands would entwine Sakura's hands, the two of you stare into each others eyes and-"

"KA-KA-SHI-SEN-SEI!"

Sakura's blood curling scream only received a gulp from poor Naruto. To Kakashi's credit, he was still grinning at the both of his students. Kakashi remained completely calm and collected.

Even though he saw the punch coming, Kakashi never bothered to dodge it.

The reason?  
When he fell, Naruto was right behind him.

Meaning Naruto broke Kakashi's fall. The white-haired jounin just hummed cheerfully when they landed on the ground and was able to get to his feet as if nothing happened.

"Great! Since everybody's so active, we have another mission from Hokage-sama! I hope everybody knows how to plant a tree!"

For team seven, some things were drastically changing, yet some things still remained the same.

His eyes widened at the unfolding destruction of his own village before him. He really, truly tried to remember Sakura's advice, even as he knew he was in a dream.

"You're in control. You're in control. You're in control," he tried to repeat to himself.

Still, every time he said those words, it was with an unfamiliar lack of confidence.

The mantra didn't seem to help matters. He quickly forgot the advice Sakura had given him earlier in the morning.

A full moon cowered under a blood red sky. Buildings lay in ruin. The town had been set ablaze. A foul stench filled the air; something mixed between all the smoke and blood of the villagers fallen in front of his own two eyes.

The amount of corpses was maddening. All he could do was stare at two trembling hands, covered in blood.

Lying on the ground, Naruto was in disbelief at the sights unfolding before him.

"This-this can't be happening."

**DON'T YOU GET IT BY NOW**

He did his best to shake off the haunting voice at the back of his mind. Never before had he felt so terrified. So helpless. So _cowardly_.

Slowly, he rose to his feet.

_There has to be somebody!_

With a renewed sense of hope, Uzumaki Naruto stood up. It took all he had to look around the piles of dead bodies to see if _anybody_ had survived.

"Somebody... anybody..." he urged on, examining bodies one by one. It felt even worse when he had to throw a body to the side. It was as if they meant nothing anymore in his search for any remaining signs of life in the decay and ruin.

After what felt like hours of searching, he heard something too distinct. Distinct and downright disturbing.

His name had been called. He was sure of it. It was feint and weak, but it was that something he had been clinging to.

Furiously, he searched through the bodies. When he found the last remaining sign of life, he almost wished he hadn't.

_Why?! _

Inwardly, he was screaming and calling out to nobody in particular.

The body before him was his big sister. She'd seen much better days.

Carefully, Naruto placed a shoulder on his arm. He shook his head when he saw she was missing her other arm. But at least she was still there!

And he carried her. Sure, she might have been taller, but that was not the current issue. He ignored everything else, and did his best to get her as far away from the wreckage and ruin as possible.

Each small gasp of air from her mouth was like a katana piercing deeper and deeper into his skin.

Still, she was alive!

"haaa... seen... better days... eh, Naruto...kun?"

He was still holding onto her. With each desperation to breathe life back into her, she looked like she was only shaking her head.

"Ayame-nee-chan, please don't talk."

"Not much time..." she whispered.

"Don't talk like that!"

Naruto couldn't remember if he had _ever_ raised his voice at her, but now wasn't the time for strolling down memory lane. There had to be something...

"Not... your... fault..."

"Not... your... fault..."

Tears were flowing down his face as he heard her heartbeat fading away. Still, she managed to say those three words until she said no more.

"A-ayame-nee-chan?"

**THE HUMAN GIRL IS DEAD**

"I wasn't talking to you! Hey, Ayame-nee-chan. Please, this has gotta be some kinda joke, right?"

**IT** **SEEMS YOU ARE UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION, UZUMAKI NARUTO.**

Refusing to believe his big sister had just died in his arms, Naruto gently placed her on the ground, and attempted CPR. The stupid fox's words didn't help the situation at all.

**SINCE YOU ARE SO STUBBORN, I WILL TELL YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAR.**

_Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up._

"SHUT UP!" he yelled, covering his ears, as if the demon was not speaking to him from the inside.

**YOU DID THIS.**

YOU DID ALL THIS. ALLOW ME TO DEMONSTRATE.

At the fox's words, Naruto's body started moving on his own. As much as he tried to stop the movement, he could do nothing.

He could open his mouth and talk, but that was about it.

"Hey, what-what's going on?"

Soon, he found himself on all fours, as if he was some sort of creature.

"Stop."

Even when he started speaking, his voice had changed. It sounded deeply distorted, and when he spoke, the only sound that came out was a growl.

His mouth started opening up, as if he was taking in the largest breath of air in his life.

From his mouth, a big, orange circle started to expand.

He tried closing his eyes. He knew the target.

**DO NOT FORGET THIS POWER. YET IT IS WASTED ON A HUMAN BEING LIKE YOU.**

Immediately, his head shot forward from the comfort of his bed.

_Kathump-kathump-kathump-kathump-kathump-kathump._

Heartbeat raised twice as higher now, Naruto took deep breaths.

When it went back to regular speed, he looked at his hands. More burn marks on them. The marks would fade away by the morning, but he was still sure that most people didn't wake up with that stuff on their hands.

Taking a glance at the clock, the blonde groaned. Only 2 in the morning.

So much for Sakura's advice.

Getting up from his bed, he figured he should try to find something to do to occupy the time. It looked like another sleepless night was in store for Uzumaki Naruto.

"Stupid fox," was all that he could grumble.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Not too sure how to feel about the chapter, but it's there. Originally, I had a much darker dream sequence intended. When I thought about the review, I decided a ton of things had to be tweaked to the dream. Hopefully it's still in line with the rating (I think it is)._

Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows the story's been getting so far. It's pretty cool to see! Keep it up. I'll try to figure out how I want this story paced. Also, to anybody looking for new animes to try out, I fully recommend and Tokyo Ghoul. The really interesting part about is that it's not an anime adaption from a manga. Most animes I've seen tend to be adaptions from manga. has some really interesting twists, develops its story well, and has a ton of solid characters. I appreciate how the MC is different from the stereotypical protagonists in other mechas. Overall, it's a very unique mecha anime.

I've heard manga readers have problems with the pacing of Tokyo Ghoul, but I don't really see it (I've also read the manga). Tokyo Ghoul has twelve episodes listed, and with the first few episodes, it's natural to expect the quick pacing, and a lot of events to get left out. Go check those bad boys out.


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